Consumed by the flames
by Pootistroll
Summary: Natsu eats Ignias god flames and gets consumed by the power the only person that can stop him is Wendy Marvell
1. Chapter 1

Everything was consumed in the choking smoke and flames. He wasn't the same person he was before, not in the slightest. It hurt to see him this way, to see him cast away his morals to see innocents burn. To see people cry and beg for mercy only to be crushed underneath deafening fury. Natsu Dragneel. In the past, he'd fight any enemy who threatened his friends, he'd help anyone who desperately needed it. Though, after consuming the god flames of Ignia, his core changed. He wasn't safe to be around as his mind was on the hinges ever since the transition happened. He would've never thought in a million years that he could possibly do what he had. It did not phase him anymore, though, he grown used to the cries of anguish. He didn't care. The one person he did care about, though—Wendy—was starting to get too close to him. Like she wanted to redeem him or something... Natsu didn't like the feeling it stirred within him. He felt sick, like the smoke of his own flames were filling his lungs every time her sweet face manifested itself in his dreamscape. He couldn't bare the thought of hurting her—but every fiber in his being was telling him to rip the world to shreds. Wendy had no idea that the flames would consume Natsu in this way. She didn't know what to say when she found Natsu in the middle of a burning field. Innocents screaming and a few Good Samaritan's trying to pull her away from the fiery Dragneel. "No! Let me speak to him!" she'd cry, tugging herself away and nearly tripping on the way to see him. She'd land on her knees, looking up at Natsu with tear filled eyes. "Why... what have you done?" the memory faded as soon as it came. It only brought more heartache. The only thing that they had left was a single, scorched note that read, 'Don't look for me. I'm too dangerous.' They never saw him again. Much like the flames of a candle distinguished in one night. He vanished. Wendy kept the note ever since she found it on the table in their guild hall. She placed it within an inner pocket of her blouse garment. She didn't want anything to happen to it if she never saw Natsu again. The thought of it made her heart sink and her eyes sting with tears. She wouldn't cry right now though, she had a mission to attend to. She didn't want to bring the moral of her team down with her sadness. Ever since that note came into their hands, the guild spent every moment they could in researching Natsu's disappearance. There were tales, of course. But nothing that ever gave them a true lead to his whereabouts. It was beyond frustrating. Almost two whole years have passed and nothing. That didn't mean they were going to let up on their searching... they knew they were close to something. They wouldn't give up.


	2. Chapter 2

Hey Guys the first chapter was a teaser, ill be uploading as fast as i can so stay with me guys :D. i'm also setting up a patron so u can support me so i can make more fanfics for u guys to enjoy! ill post the link in the next chapter so enjoy this chapter :)

"The city has been burnt to ash. What once was great and thriving is now utterly ruined. I traveled inward once the I heard of it," the traveler began. "I didn't live there, just in the neighboring village. If you're looking for who's responsible... you're on the right track," the traveler tapped on the paper that explained the travesty of the furthest town.

Wendy leaned in close to inspect the paper, her eyes noting the location on the guild hall's map. She quickly thanked the traveler for their information, heading back.

Worry swelled up in her heart when she got this news. She hasn't heard anything for what seemed like ages. But now... now she heard of a village being burnt to nothing. There could only be one person responsible.

Natsu.

Her eyes stung again, threatening to make tears fall down her cheeks. She didn't know if she was happy... sad or scared. It was most likely a mixture of all three of those feelings. Wendy was quick to head back to the guild hall, letting everyone else know what she heard.

Erza looked a bit surprised and sat up, going over to Wendy and placing a hand on her shoulder. "Are you sure you are ready for this?" she paused, "I know how much Natsu's disappearance had an effect on you," she spoke only to her.

"Of course I'm ready..." Wendy nodded her head, looking at Erza in the eyes. Carla looked up at Wendy, trying to read the expression on her face. She could always tell when Wendy was upset, even when there was nothing to read on her. She stepped closer, extending a paw to lightly touch Wendy's hand. She knew she was there, and what her presence meant to her. Wendy looked down at Carla, sadness in her eyes before she looked back at Erza.

"Let's not waste any time, okay?" the girl said as she turned away, pulling a determined look on her countenance.

The group got ready, preparing themselves for what they were going to find. They made the trek to the burnt city that more and more people were letting them know about. It was unfortunate to hear of the many stories... to hear how many people were lost.

When they finally arrived, they could see just how severe the damage was. Everything was ash, only a few of the buildings were barely standing. The rest were in complete shambles.

The team went to investigate further, just to see if they'd find anything on the whereabouts of this destroyer everyone spoke of.

Wendy went off on her own, diverting from the group to seek out her own information


	3. Chapter 3

She kicked away a charred piece of wood, hearing a little noise coming from inside one of the houses. This house wasn't completely burnt down, but it still looked inhabitable. "—Hello?" the blue haired girl called out. Whatever it was, it began rustling around in the rubble within the house. Wendy's eyebrows furrowed as she stepped closer to the house, carefully approaching the doorway and resting her hand on it. "Is... someone in here?" she asked again, her eyes widening when her eyes settled on a little girl. The little girl's arms and legs were covered in soot and ash, her black hair messy as it fell over her shoulders. Her eyes were sunken in and they looked like they've seen things that no child should ever see. She sniffled, immediately running out to hug Wendy. The blue haired girl's eyes widened and she let out a gasp at the sudden embrace, looking down at her. "Are you alright?" she whispered, wrapping her own arms around her. That was when the little girl slowly let go of her, looking up at Wendy with pain in her eyes. "Everything is gone..." she whispered, rubbing at her cheek. "My mom... my brother... everyone," she began to sniffle. Wendy looked pained just hearing that, her heart turning in her chest and she nodded, leaning down to set a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Who did this?" "A man with pink hair, red scales on his face, arms and legs," she explained, gesturing to her own face and appendages. She looked down at her dusty feet, "He burnt our village to the ground... and... didn't even give us a chance for mercy," she mumbled. "My mom died defending me and my brother. She stood between us and the dragon man, saying that she wouldn't let him take our lives. S-Saying that he should feel ashamed for all the destruction he's caused." Wendy could feel tears well up in her eyes again, but she couldn't cry... not in front of this young girl. Especially after everything she's been through. It made her so incredibly frustrated... That someone that she felt so strongly for could do something as horrible as this. "My brother tried to challenge him, but he didn't make it either." the black haired girl continued, looking back up at Wendy. "He left us all in flames... laughter in the night like it was part of a show." These words hurt Wendy like nothing else. This was worse than physical pain. She nodded, taking the girl's hand gently. "Let's go tell the others, okay? I'm here with my guild. We are actually looking for the man you saw..." she explained. "I'll tell them what you told me... and we'll make sure to find him." she started to lead the girl down the ruined pathway. "We'll make sure that you are safe too... There's no reason for you to stay here," Wendy said, looking back at her. "I know you're still hurting... but, I promise you that you will get through this..." she spoke quietly. "I can see the strength in your eyes." The young girl nodded, still keeping her head down. She wish she could've done more than cower, her soul ached for her family. She wished she could've done... something. Anything. As they continued to walk, they spotted Lucy and quickly made their way over to her. Wendy explained the girl's story and Lucy nodded, kneeling down to match her height. "Is there anyone else here with you? Or... did you happen to see anyone else?" Lucy asked with a tilt of her head, examining the girl's face. The black haired girl shook her head, "No... just me," she answered in a broken tone. Lucy nodded again, hugging the girl close, "Don't worry... You're coming with us, okay? You don't have to stay alone out here." The girl looked appreciative, but still solemn. She didn't really have the energy to properly thank the guild... but she promised herself that she would in time. "Let's go, guys... there's nothing else here for us." was all Wendy said. — A day went by and nothing. It was quiet as can be at the guild hall. Gray and Lucy spent some time together researching any possible leads from the fires. There wasn't much there... it was frustrating.


	4. Chapter 4

There were countless sightings of something causing this havoc but no one had any tangible evidence. Lucy stepped out to head into the market, passing by happy faces while hers was nothing but emptiness.

Her eyes widened when she felt a little tap on her shoulder, looking over only to spot Wendy. She greeted her with a little nod and, "What's up?"

Wendy looked away, only shrugging when she answered back, "I just wanted to follow you... I couldn't stand being in the guild hall right now... Especially since my mind wont stop reeling... It's a little annoying." she admitted.

Lucy understood what she meant, she was starting to feel the same way. It was like they were stuck running in circles in and endless maze. No way but to go right where they started.

"A dragon? No. Can't be..."

"Yes! Didn't you hear of that village being burnt to the ground not that long ago? I'm sure that dragon was responsible for it..."

"Well, yeah, but how do you know that it's the same one who caused all these other fires? You can't say for sure unless you saw something yourself."

Lucy and Wendy's eyes widened as they heard the passing conversation. Their hearts pounded from the information, air catching in their throats before they quickly rushed over to them.

"What are you guys talking about?" Lucy asked, watching the people's expression change to a curious one.

"We are talking about the recent fires. People from my village are saying that there's a dragon responsible for it all. Haven't you guys heard about it already?" the one man said, quirking a brow.

Lucy nodded her head, "We have... but we were just looking for any more information on the fires." she glanced over at Wendy who nodded her head. Meanwhile, the other two men let out a sigh.

"Alright. Well, if you take a look here—" one of the men pointed at the map he pulled out of his bag, "This is where the recent fire happened... about a week ago," he paused as he thought to himself only to be interrupted by the other man. "—Yeah, the dragon must've went west from there... I've been hearing rumors of something living the caves around here," he traced the illustration of the mountains near the recently burned village.

Lucy and Wendy's eyes widened, exchanging glances before they nodded to each other.

"Thank you boys," Lucy said with a smile, though it was a bit solemn. She took Wendy's hand, leading her back from where they came. There was no other reason to stay out in the market once they've caught such interesting information.

The two girls made their way back to the guild hall in a rush. Lucy barged in, telling everyone what she just heard. Wendy followed, walking over to the map on display in the hall. She pointed in the spot the other man did earlier, "He's somewhere out here... I just know it," she said.

The rest of the guild members gathered around her and the map, thinking to themselves. They would have to see what these rumors were truly about... if it was really Natsu... what were they going to do? What would they say to him?

Those questions would be answered by the time Wendy's feet stepped onto jagged rock. Her brown eyes settled on the huge maw of the cave in question. It took them a few days to get to this point, but if everything they were expecting was true... it would be worth it in the end.

"Natsu?" Wendy called out into the cave.

Nothing. Her voice simply echoed.

Her hand gently clutched her chest, wondering if this was all for nothing and she should just turn back.

"Wendy..." a voice breathed out. It sounded familiar... but not really. It was coarse and deep, like the owner of this voice had been through hell and back.


	5. Chapter 5

"Natsu!" her voice caught and she took another few steps forward. Her heart in her throat.

"BACK AWAY!" the voice growled, reverberating through her body and sending her into an internal panic.

"Huh?" her eyes widened and she clutched her chest even tighter. Why was it getting so hard to breathe all of a sudden? She almost couldn't hear herself think with how loud her heart was beating in her ears. Was this... really Natsu?

It was quiet for several moments before a shadowy figure slowly came up from the darkness. Black smoke seeped from the cave before Wendy met eyes with a fiery gaze.

This wasn't the same Natsu she fell in love with. Wait... did she just say that to herself? Her heart pounded with fear and pain.

Crisp eyes keeping their focus on the dragon-scaled Natsu as he stepped out of the cave.

His salmon hair was long, reaching his waist as he set a hand on his hip. He gave Wendy the coldest gaze, a glimmer of light reflecting off of it as he looked down at her.

"I told you not to look for me... What didn't you understand!?" he snarled, watching as she nearly yelped at his tone, jumping back. Before she fell backwards, she was caught by Lucy.

"You didn't leave us any choice, Natsu! You have been destroying every city you come across! Did you expect us to just sit there while you ruined lives?!" Lucy balled her fist and spoke with conviction, taking one step forward as she moved an arm in front of Wendy.

"You have been gone for two years! But we never stopped looking for you! I never thought we'd find you here, hiding in a cave like a coward!" she growled, voice bubbling with anger as tears welled up in her eyes.

Lucy was angry and she never tried to hide it. "You left us here, wondering where you went! You left Wendy here all by herself! Throwing away her feelings like she was nothing!" Lucy took another step forward before Natsu interrupted her.

"Don't get any closer!" he snarled, baring his teeth and giving the two girls a threatening look.

He would be lying if he admitted the fact that Lucy's words were tearing him up. He hated the feeling and showed a look of disgust, turning his head away. "You don't know anything! Nothing!" he yelled.

Natsu had red scales tracing his jawline, leading down to his arms and chest. His stance was intimidating and it showed nothing of the sweet, friendly Natsu they knew in the past.

Wendy felt herself so close to tears... It was so hard for her to see Natsu like this.

He turned his head back to them, raising his clawed hands and igniting them with flames. He had a different look in his eyes, something of rage and indifference. He didn't want to care, the flames burned so hot inside of him that he just couldn't ignore their call.

Fire. Ash. Darkness. Destroy everything in your path.

Natsu's eyes snapped open and he roared, swiping his hands and sending a burst of searing hot flames at the two girls. He couldn't stop himself, he simply snapped.

"THINK ABOUT WHAT I SAY THE NEXT TIME I TELL YOU NOT TO LOOK FOR ME!" Natsu screamed, sending another wave of flames as Wendy pulled Lucy out of the way.

They hopped back quickly, falling behind the protection of the other guild members. There was no reasoning with Natsu anymore... He wasn't listening to them and he probably never would.

Gray used his own ice magic to try and throw up a wall to protect them for a moment to gain their footing. It was no use before a beam of fire shot through the wall, causing it to crumble to the ground in an instant. Natsu was strong... but this power was unimaginable.


End file.
